Nikon 50mm f1.8

juancarlos66

juancarlos66

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My father has given me his spare 50mm f1.8D. What can I use this for against the stock 18-55 lens that I already have ?

What is the stock lens better for ?
 
this will give alot better DOF for portrature pictures,but you will have to use manual focus on your d3000.
i bought one 3-4 months ago and find it more of a joy to use than my kit lens(18-105),even though i find nailing focus with AF hit and miss
 
I just ordered a 50mm 1.8 along with my new d90. I had a play about with one last nite for the first time and i was blown away with it. The kit 18-55 lens is not even comparable at 50mm.
 
If you have the time to learn to manually focus (and it's worth doing that if you have the time) then this is a fantastic lens for the money. Certainly the nikon version which I believe is different from the Canon in that it has rounded blades which IMO gives a better bokeh/out of focus highlights etc. I had it when I had a D40 and used it only a few times but since I got my D300 it lives on the cam.
 
i find mine a bit soft at 1.8 but use it at 2.8 & its sharp as you like :thumbs:
i use mine quite a bit too :naughty:
 
BazEP
Do you find it hit and miss on auto focus on the D300
 
Jango said:
BazEP
Do you find it hit and miss on auto focus on the D300
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Shouldn't be but if you're using it at f/1.8 then the depth of field is so narrow that almost all the image will be out of focus. This is when manual focus is a good thing.
 
Nawty said:
Shouldn't be but if you're using it at f/1.8 then the depth of field is so narrow that almost all the image will be out of focus. This is when manual focus is a good thing.
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its not - your autofocus should be atleast as accurate as manual focus. With a modern AF system, on a modern DSLR (which don't generally have great viewfinders for MF) AF will always win.

Having said that, on the OP's D3000 the 50 f1.8 won't autofocus
 
No, but AF points are actually quite large so it is difficult for a camera to recognise the difference between a nose and an eye for instance, or if you're shooting "macro" then it will, for example focus on the closest part of a flower, rather than where you want it which if you're shooting at f/1.8 can make all the difference.
 
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Gigabyte said:
50mm f1.8 will be my very next lens!
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for Nikon D5000 owners

any Nikon lens will fit.....50mm 1.8 or f2, pre-Ai, Ai, AI-S, E series

i got a Nikkor-H Nippon Kogaku 50mm f2 off eBay - below £50

cracking lens, 40 years old still perfect.
Manual Focus and no metering - makes you think about the shot...:thumbs:
 
Nawty said:
No, but AF points are actually quite large so it is difficult for a camera to recognise the difference between a nose and an eye for instance, or if you're shooting "macro" then it will, for example focus on the closest part of a flower, rather than where you want it which if you're shooting at f/1.8 can make all the difference.
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AF points aren't that large. The AF points aren't the red rectangles you see in your viewfinder, but much smaller sensors within those markings. The difference between for example a nose and an eye is one your AF system is far more able to overcome then you are using MF, especially without a split screen/microprism viewfinder.
 
Thanks for the good advice. I had a play with the lens today and was surprised at how good it was compared to the 18-55 I have. I now have some great portraits of the wife's teddy....

Off to Pooley Bridge tommorrow so will stick it in the bag and hope opportunities arise to use it, I may even pluck up the courage to post one up to the forum.
 
Great photo Dominic, you could almost reach out and give him a scratch on the head :lol:
 
It is, however, a perfect example of what I was talking about - the focus is spot on BUT most people would like the focus to be on the eyes, not the front of the snout and at f/1.8 (assumed) the rest of mutt is OOF...

boyfalldown said:
AF points aren't that large.
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Maybe not on the D700 ;) :p
 
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May I make a suggestion.

Pick a subject, static not your dog. Mount your camera on a tripod with the niffty fiffty selecting Aperture priority, and manual focus on the subject. Now set the aperture to its maximum and take a shot, then pick f2 and take a shot and so forth until you have gone through until f16. Download your photos and you will see the effects of the DOF.

Prime lenses are just the best, I have a 50 f1.4 and a 35 f1.8 and prefer them to my zooms.
 
Nawty said:
It is, however, a perfect example of what I was talking about - the focus is spot on BUT most people would like the focus to be on the eyes, not the front of the snout and at f/1.8 (assumed) the rest of mutt is OOF...
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As I said, mine was just trying out the lens for the first time. I wanted to see the effects of it. I wasn't trying to get the perfect picture.
 
I recently got my first DSLR (a D5000, so also without the focus motor like your D3000) and got a 35mm f1.8 to complement the 18-105 kit lens.
The prime is fantastic - you can get really shallow DOF effects and it's also great in low-light conditions if you handhold (I don't have a tripod... yet ;)).
The 50mm will have the same benefits as the 35mm, except you'll have to manual focus. If you enjoy using the 50mm, the 35mm might also be worth considering - it can be picked up for £180 (including hood and bag) which I think is pretty reasonable.
 
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I picked up a 'nifty fifty' from a house clearance a few months back and it was my second lens, as I was only using the kit lens prior to that.

As per nikonneal's post, I did something similar..I was taking photos of my girlfriend against a patterned curtain, playing about with the aperture will show you the gradual increase in 'blurriness' of the curtain pattern.
 
Juancarlos is this the one you have? I was looking to get this in a few weeks. Just wondering if it will be a disappointment due to the price. Plenty of good reviews on there about it though. Not sure what the next model up would be. I only have a D50 anyway!
 
Tack sharp from F2.5 onwards, and more than useable at F2.... this was at F8 due to the 'liveliness' of the subject more than anything else.... I'd never part with mine.... :thumbs:

35b84sm.jpg
 
DekHog said:
Tack sharp from F2.5 onwards, and more than useable at F2.... this was at F8 due to the 'liveliness' of the subject more than anything else.... I'd never part with mine.... :thumbs:

35b84sm.jpg
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Sorry to resurrect this thread but according to the Exif data that was without flash :eek:


Lovely photo..
 
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If it's off-camera manual flash (i.e. Not TTL) then the camera won't recognise that a flash was fired. The camera has to 'know' via TTL that one is connected for it to record data, so I'm led to believe.....
 
specialman said:
If it's off-camera manual flash (i.e. Not TTL) then the camera won't recognise that a flash was fired. The camera has to 'know' via TTL that one is connected for it to record data, so I'm led to believe.....
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Ahhh right... so how would you fire it then if the camera did not :thinking:
 
When you press the shutter the camera will send a signal to the hotshoe regardless of there being a flash in place (unless your using a custom function that stops the signal being sent like my D2x has).

With manual transmitters fitted to the hotshoe they have a single contact point (the one in the middle of the camera's hotshoe - the other contacts are for TTL information). This single contact is the contact that fires a flash when the shutter is pressed. That's why with many shots featuring OCF there is obvious flash used but the exif doesn't register it because the camera didn't have any TTL contexts linked that would register info into the exif. Think that's how it's best explained..... :)
 
specialman said:
When you press the shutter the camera will send a signal to the hotshoe regardless of there being a flash in place (unless your using a custom function that stops the signal being sent like my D2x has).

With manual transmitters fitted to the hotshoe they have a single contact point (the one in the middle of the camera's hotshoe - the other contacts are for TTL information). This single contact is the contact that fires a flash when the shutter is pressed. That's why with many shots featuring OCF there is obvious flash used but the exif doesn't register it because the camera didn't have any TTL contexts linked that would register info into the exif. Think that's how it's best explained..... :)
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Thanks. Just learnt something!
 
50 mm prime lens are simple to make, Canon or Nikon. Where they fall down is the quality of build. Compare the build on both Canon and Nikon 50 mm F1.4 and you will see what you are paying for. Will the F1.8`s last , time will tell.
 
As to exactly how, I used radio triggers... the camera doesn't recognise the Tx (transmitter) attached to it, but still fires it through the hotshoe centre pin, which in turn fires the Rx (reciever) which is attached to the flash anywhere off camera you want it to be...
 
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